The Needs of the Many
by I'maChair5050
Summary: No matter how far they may run, no matter how well they hide and no matter how hard they may fight back, he will find them and when he does, may god have mercy on their souls. "Fear the Red Shadow..." Contains Violence and Coarse Language.
1. Chapter 1

_**War Journal**_

 _ **T-Minus four days until my crusade begins.**_

 _I'm sick. Not sick as in ill, but sick as in "sick and tired"._

 _There are many things I'm sick of right now. I'm sick of rain. I'm sick of stubbing my toe on the skirting boards. I'm sick of mud. I'm sick of those damned birds waking me up at 4AM every morning with their chorus._

 _You get the idea._

 _But right now, there are two things that make me sick to the teeth more than anything else._

 _1) Robotnik and the Dark Egg Legion_

 _2) The Freedom Fighters not really doing anything to stop him._

 _I guess I had better explain (for future reference). For a while now, my compatriots and I have lived in a small remote village of Knothole. Sounds peaceful, right? However, this is certainly not the case, as we constantly find ourselves at war with that psycho Doctor Robotnik and his armies. Thankfully, on most days it's easy to forget that our lives are at risk, as he doesn't usually attack Knothole directly, instead choosing to focus on an off-shoot of the Freedom Fighters._

 _Today, however, things were different._

 _Of course, things started out like any other day. I got up, had my breakfast, listened to some music, the usual stuff you do on an off day._

 _And it's about here where everything changed. One minute everything was nice and peaceful. The next, utter chaos. It turns out that Robotnik had somehow found a way to overpower NICOLE's defensive systems, allowing him and his forces to attack us. Of course, the Freedom Fighters were able to beat him back (and I doubt he'll be trying that again), but by that time, the damage had already been done._

 _Thankfully, the attack hasn't killed anyone (that I know of), but it has put an awful lot of people in the hospital._

 _Usually, I'd begin to wrap things up around here, writing something clichéd like "I hope this war ends soon"._

 _But something else happened today._

 _You see, someone near and dear to me was hospitalized today._

 _Of course, it's nothing more than minor concussion and she should be back to normal very soon, but this whole thing has left the both of us a bit shaken. It has also left me feeling shocked, saddened and most of all, absolutely livid._

 _As you can imagine, when the attack was eventually repelled, I went straight to the Freedom Fighters and demanded to know just what had happened and why the Freedom Fighters hadn't shut Robotnik down already._

 _They just gave me the usual crap about how they were always trying to stop him, but would never use lethal force, as it would "make them like him"._

 _Bullshit._

 _Sure, they do try and stop Robotnik wherever he happens to be, I'll give them that. But the main problem here is that when they stop him, he only gets back up again. In fact, this whole war is continuing just because the Freedom Fighters don't have the balls to put him down._

 _In fact, I don't think anyone else here has the guts to do what's necessary to end this bloody struggle._

 _Well, if they won't do anything about it, I'll just have to do it myself._

 _Someone once told me that in any situation, one being can make all the difference. That's what I intend to do over the coming weeks: make a difference._

 _It's time to take Robotnik and his cronies out of the equation. Permanently._

 _All I need to do before then is go up to Station Square and get a few "supplies", if you will._

 _Of course, I still plan on giving the Freedom Fighters the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps they are indeed right with their mantra, just not in the execution of it. I'll avoid killing for now. But if the worst comes to the worst, I mustn't hold back. Not for anything._

 _Anyway, I'd best end things here. I've got a lot of work to do._

 _The next time I write in here, things should have begun to change._

 _Hopefully, for the better..._


	2. Chapter 2

_"Nobody cared who I was until I put on the mask"_

"Hey, have you ever wondered why we're still bothering to do this?"

"What do you mean?"

"Simple: We get up every morning, we eat a tasteless breakfast and then we're sent out to do a collection of mundane tasks until the end of the day before heading back to base, where the whole process starts again. Look, what I'm getting at is why we're still bothering to do this. We've been doing the same things for almost a year and not once have I heard any of you complaining about it".

"It's because we aren't bothered. If we hadn't signed up in the first place, we probably would have been roboticized".

"He does have a point, though. I mean, couldn't we ask for a transfer to someplace that actually sees action, like the Death Egg?"

"Huh. Good luck with that. Besides, they mostly use mechs as the main form of defence up there".

The attention of legionnaire team Epsilon-2 soon returned to their task at hand. Upon reaching today's briefing, their senior officer had informed them that it was their turn this week to go on recon duty, with the task of scouting out any and all key Freedom Fighter locations. So far, recon teams that had been sent on these missions had either been attacked and overpowered by a team of Freedom Fighters, or had returned to base with absolutely no new information for the senior officers.

So far, only one team had ever been successful in bringing back new information, and it was this new information that eventually led to the most recent attack on Knothole.

Since then, the Freedom Fighters had taken extra measures to ensure the safety of any and all civilians, such as re-enforcing the defensive shields that surrounded the village.

However, despite these new safety measures, both sides still new that there could still be a way in. They just needed to find it.

This has been the fourth time that the five man team of Epsilon-2 had headed out to try and find this way in.

Each time, they had taken the exact same route into the forest surrounding the village, following a small, hidden dirt path that cut through the vegetation, under the cover of a lush, thick canopy of trees, with thin rays of sunshine glaring through the leaves.

Despite still being familiar with the route, they still kept their energy weapons at the ready, just in case they suddenly found themselves face to face with an infamous blue hedgehog. Thankfully for them, they had so far been lucky with not finding themselves in the presence of Sonic. However, they knew it was only a matter of time.

Very soon, the five arrived in a small clearing.

"Alright. Our target is just a few clicks away, now. If anyone needs to take a quick break, now would be the time to do so". The leader, 2-0, said to his men.

"Oh finally! I've been needing a piss since we entered this damned forest" 2-4 remarked, trying to prevent himself from having a bladder spasm.

"Go in the bushes. Make it quick".

2-4 didn't need to be told twice as he quickly scuttled off into the undergrowth to do his business.

"What is it with that damn kid and his bladder?" Muttered 2-1.

"Well, he is still new to this thing. Cut him a little bit of slack, will you?"

* * *

 _"Restoration at 98%"_

"Finally. Let's just hope that the updates I've installed in you prevent this from happening again".

During the attack on Knothole, one of the key targets had been the Headquarters of the Freedom Fighters, located on the outskirts of the village.

Even after bearing the brunt of the initial bombardment, it wasn't too long before the base had been flooded with legionnaires.

Fortunately, the Freedom Fighters were quickly able to re-secure their base before turning their attention to aiding Knothole. Unfortunately, both the fight and the bombardment had critically damaged the defensive systems beyond the point of repair.

Usually, this wouldn't be much of a problem for the Freedom Fighters. They had two of the greatest technical minds on the planet in the form of Rotor Walrus and Miles "Tails" Prower.

However, in the wake of the attack, they found themselves one genius short, as Rotor has been hospitalised for sustained injuries. It wasn't anything too serious and the walrus was due to make a full recovery, but this ultimately left Tails as the only one who could repair the base's systems.

The fact that he was essentially working solo didn't stop him, however. By this stage, he had already restored the forcefield that surrounded the base and the village, along with Nicole's A.I. He had even taken the opportunity to install brand new radar to replace the old one that was destroyed in the battle.

Even once he had finished the repairs to the defensive systems, he still had the task of designing extra defences, so as to prevent any repeat incidents.

By that time, Rotor would hopefully have made a full recovery, allowing the two to complete the job faster. But before then, Tails had decided to get ahead on the second task.

So, using one of his specialised programs to restore the computer system in the base, the fox found himself sitting in the war room, deep in thought about how he could improve the defences.

Before him was a massive sheet of blank paper.

He scratched his chin, the gears turning in his head.

It wasn't too long before he came up with something, snapping his fingers the moment the idea entered his head.

"Sentry turrets" he muttered to himself as he shuffled his chair closer to the table before he began rapidly scribbling out a design, making calculations around the edge of the paper and muttering to himself as he went.

"Let's see here…a fully automatic electromagnetic sentry turret designed to stun legionnaires and destroy the electronics of any attacking forces. Total length of 914mm, including a barrel length 567mm. Total weight should roughly be around 65 pounds to allow for easy manoeuvrability. A variable fire rate ranging from 2,000 to 6,000…actually, make that 3,000 to 8,000 Rpm. Maximum fire velocity of roughly 3000 ft/sec should allow for a range over 1000m. Ammunition will be fed into the weapon via a disintegrating cartridge belt, able to carry up to 7,000 rounds. The ammunition itself will consist of small shells, roughly 7.6mm in diameter and 51mm in length. Once fired, the shells will break open, releasing a small electromagnetic charge significantly more powerful than that of a taser, but not powerful enough to kill."

He stopped to catch a break, staring that the huge sea of plans and calculations before him.

"I guess the major issue we have now is acquiring the necessary materials. Perhaps I can ask Sally if she-".

The fox's train of thought was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Come in!"

The war room door promptly swung open and Princess Sally Acorn, leader of the Freedom Fighters, came walking in.

"Oh, there you are! I was getting worried about you. According to Sonic, you didn't even bother having breakfast this morning".

"Yeah, I know. I just wanted to get the rest of the work out of the way as soon as possible. He did actually come by about an hour ago to check up on me".

"Huh. Well it was nice of him to tell me"

"I'm hearing sarcasm in your voice"

"No duh, Sherlock. Anyway, how goes the work?"

"Yeah, it's going pretty well. I've pretty much replaced all the parts that needed replacing and I'm now just letting the system do the rest of the work. I'm just passing the time by designing a few extra additions we can use to bolster defenses further".

It was at this point that the princess noticed the calculations and the diagrams Tails had drawn on the paper in front of him.

A confused and concerned look crossed her face.

The fox chuckled. "Don't worry, Sally. This is designed to stun, not kill. Besides, I couldn't make it kill if I wanted to: I'd have you and Sonic to go through".

Sally breathed a slight sigh of relief. "Well, that's alright. It's just that the use of guns always wigs me out".

"I understand. It's just that now it feels like we mustn't be afraid to push out our walls a bit further, if you catch my drift".

 _"Restoration at 100%. All systems operational"_

"Ah, there we go"

As the huge computer screens all lit up, Tails rolled his chair over, coming to a halt in front of the keyboard.

"Nicole, you in there?"

The image of a feminine Lynx appeared on the screen, smiling happily.

"Good to hear from you again, Tails. Thanks for the upgrades, by the way. My processor's now running faster than ever before".

"That's good to hear. Can you please run a quick diagnostics scan to make sure that there's nothing wrong with the hardware I picked up?"

"Got it. Running diagnostics check now".

The image of the Lynx disappeared before being replaced with a small progress bar.

This bar quickly filled until it was at 100% just a few seconds later.

"Scan completed!" Declared Nicole, reappearing on the screen as the bar disappeared. "I'm happy to report that there are no issues to report with the operating systems".

"Sweet. Thanks, Nicole".

"Okay, now I'm impressed" Sally remarked. "What else did you do?"

"Well, asides from repairing Nicole and the operating system, I took the opportunity to refine and upgrade some of our auxiliary systems. Remember that radar we found that kept glitching out?"

"Gods, don't remind. But then again, I guess that's what happens what you get when you raid Robotnik's scrap pile".

"Heh. Yeah. But anyway, I found out what the main issues were, bought a whole pile of spare parts from my contact in Station Square, took the whole thing apart and rebuilt it from the ground up. Radar please, Nicole".

The lynx nodded, her image being replaced by that of a large radar.

"Currently, it's capable of picking up and identifying any hostile forces within half a mile, allowing us to use it as an early warning system. Not only that, but I've even started coming up with plans to boost the range of it up to-"

"Err, Tails?" Sally interjected.

"Yes?"

"We may have some company".

The princess pointed at the radar.

"Five bogies. Just a few hundred metres southeast".

The fox looked back up at the radar. Indeed, there were now five small dots flashing onscreen, located just southeast of the centre.

"Huh. Well, the radar works, anyway".

"I'd better contact Sonic".

Tails gave a relaxed wave of the hand. "I wouldn't worry about it too much. Besides, it could be anything. Perhaps just let Hershey and Geoffrey scout it out first. It'll let me trial the new cameras I installed into their body armour, anyway".

"Okay. So long as you know what you're doing".

"Good. I'll stay here and drop the forcefield for them".

* * *

 _ **War Journal**_

 _ **Day 1**_

 _This day couldn't come around soon enough_

 _For the last four days, I have pushed myself to the absolute limit, both physically and mentally, preparing for when this day finally came around._

 _I'll admit: the preparation hasn't been easy. Hell, a day hasn't gone by without me thinking that this whole thing I'm preparing to do is completely fucking pointless._

 _But if any of my past experiences have taught me anything, it's that one single being can change the outcome of any situation._

 _Hell, nearly every day, the Freedom Fighters have proved that just a handful of people can stop an entire army._

 _So if just a few non-lethal Eco-warriors can stop an army, then I ask just one question: what can someone like me do?_

 _The answer?_

 _A whole hell of a lot more._

 _The time has come._

* * *

Geoffrey and Hershey had been enjoying a lovely day together before Tails had gone and contacted them in regards to a possible threat just outside the safe zone.

They had said to the fox that they could just as easily set Sonic on the issue, but he had replied that he didn't want to cause "too much of a ruckus".

Rather unfortunately, they could only agree with that statement.

As the couple walked towards the edge of the village, fully kitted out in their combat gear, they looked out at their surroundings, peering through the light blue tint of the forcefield.

As they walked, a small hole opened before them, allowing them to walk through the shielding.

This hole was quickly closed once the two were out of the safe zone.

"Alright Tails, we're out. Where do we go from here?"

"Just continue in the direction you're currently going. You'll know when you've arrived".

Geoffrey shrugged as he and his wife continued, moving further and further away from the safe zone.

Now, they wouldn't admit it to their peers, but being outside the safe zone always put them on edge. They knew that each time they left the safety of Knothole, they were running the risk of getting captured or worse.

But they knew that the best thing to do was to keep their heads down and focus on the mission.

As they continued walking they soon found themselves surrounded in lush plant life, with birds tweeting in the trees.

A stark contrast as to what they knew would happen if Robotnik won.

However, as the two continued walking, they heard the sound of chattering nearby.

The duo quickly came to a halt.

"I think we've found the bogies" Hershey whispered.

They continued on, much quieter now as the chattering gradually got louder.

Finally, as the two peered through the undergrowth, they found what they were looking for.

Five legionnaires were standing in a circle in the middle of a clearing, discussing some sort of strategy.

"For the last time, 2-1, the whole purpose of this mission is to gather any sort of information we can on the Freedom Fighters and their hideout"

"But we've done this run several times now and we've brought home nothing. How will this be any different?"

"Because we're going to be taking a risk, you dingbat! If we split up into smaller groups, we can cover more ground at a faster rate".

The two Freedom Fighters opted to switch on the suit cameras, pressing a small button on their left shoulder pads. The cameras flashed with a small red light. It was bright, but not bright enough to be noticed.

"Tails, this is Geoffrey. We have eyes on the bogies". The male skunk said into his communicator.

"Good. You should be seeing six...wait...wait, that can't be right".

"What?"

"According to the radar, there's now six unidentified contacts in the vicinity, but there were just five a moment ago".

"Obviously, there's something wrong with the radar, buddy. We're seeing five down here as well".

"Must be a glitch in the system. I'll be on that once everything's been sorted out on your end. You two just keep your eyes on those bogies in the meantime".

The attention of the two returned to monitoring the five. However, as they did so, they failed to notice a shadow passing over them.

"Wait a minute. What happens if we encounter the Hedgehog?" asked one of them.

"Oh, I don't know. Perhaps you go up to him and shake his hand" Another replied.

"Are you being sarcast-"

"OF COURSE I'M BEING SARCASTIC!"

"And there he goes with the sarcasm, again" Remarked a third

"SHUT UP, OR SO HELP ME, I'LL-"

" **GUYS! GUYS! GUYS!** "Bellowed a fourth. " **CHILL THE FUCK OUT!** "

This shut them up, allowing the fourth to clear his throat.

"Look, I know you guys don't want to be here. I get that. I don't want to be here either. But if you really want to make it back in one piece, then I suggest that you shut up and- ** _AAAHH!_** "

He was cut off as a black shape suddenly dropped down from the forest canopy, grabbing hold of the legionnaire before disappearing back into the treetop.

"What the hell?!"

The other four legionnaires promptly raised their weapons in alarm, aiming them in the direction their colleague had gone off before being snatched up.

"2-2, do you copy?" Asked 2-0

No reply.

"Come in, 2-2. Are you there?"

Still no reply.

As the four remaining legionnaires slowly edged closer to danger, Hershey and Geoffrey watched on in shock, not believing what they had just seen.

"Uh, Tails?"

"Yeah?"

"I think we've found the sixth guy".

As if on cue, the two spotted a shadow passing over the four legionnaires.

"Can you get a good look at him?"

"Not at the moment, but you can expect that to change very soon".

As they watched, the four legionnaires began surveying the surroundings.

"ALRIGHT! WHOEVER YOU ARE, SHOW YOURSELF!" Bellowed 2-0.

"Big Mistake"

The remaining four legionnaires were caught off guard once again when the black shape reappeared, dropping out of the canopy again and landing on 2-3, rendering him unconscious with a boot to the face.

The remaining legionnaires and the two Freedom Fighters could now see the sixth person properly this time.

Standing before them was a figure, masculine in shape, dressed in what appeared to be a dark red and black combat suit, complete with a cape that went down to his ankles, thick combat gloves, a hood and a massive pair of boots. Around his waist was a utility belt, with each pouch containing all sorts of weapons and gadgets for any situation. On his face was what appeared to be some kind of customized gas mask, concealing most of his face. Even the lenses were tinted jet black.

However, the Freedom Fighters saw one vital part of the figure that the legionnaires couldn't see: attached to his back were a whole plethora of weapons. Firearms, knives and swords all placed in holsters.

"You wanted me...here I am". The figure growled, his voice clearly altered.

The three legionnaires, not wanting to be downed themselves, all quickly raised their weapons.

However, before they could do anything else, the figure quickly produced a small capsule from one of the pouches on his belt before throwing it at the ground, causing it to explode, releasing a bright flash of light, blinding the three.

The first thing legionnaire 2-1 felt after this was a massive boot rising up and kicking him right in his crotch. 2-4 was then greeted with the body mass of 2-1 flying into him, causing the duo to bash heads and render each other unconscious. However, it was 2-0 who received the nastiest surprise, as the cloak simply picked him up and just body slammed him to the ground before placing one of his boots against his head.

"Who the hell is this guy?" Hershey whispered.

"Whoever he is, I don't think he's messing around."

"Alright you little shit, start talking" The cloak growled. "What are you and your buddies doing out here?"

"Who the fuck are you?!" Spluttered the legionnaire.

"I'm the one who's going to break every bone in your body if it means getting info out of you. Talk!"

"Heh. You don't scare me. I ain't telling you anything" the legionnaire replied smugly.

"Oh really?"

The cloak removed his foot from the legionnaire's head before kneeling down and removing a pistol from a holster on his back, placing it at the back of the legionnaire's head.

His smugness quickly disappeared.

Hershey was about to leap out of the hiding place and stop him, but Geoffrey prevented her from doing so.

"Hang back. We don't know what this guy's capable of".

"Reconsidered yet?"

"Not worth it, man...not worth it." The Legionnaire muttered to himself. "Fine. I'll tell you everything I know."

"I knew you would" the cloak replied, placing the pistol back in its holster.

Much to the surprise of the two Freedom Fighters, the cloak suddenly looked over to where they were hiding and called out to them.

"You two might want to come out here and listen to what he's got to say"

Realizing that it was no use hiding, the two tentatively stepped out from their hiding spot.

"A bit over the top there, don't you think?" Geoffrey replied.

"So? I got this scumbag to talk".

The attention of the three soon returned to the situation at hand as they all stood over the downed legionnaire, the cloak turning him over so he could face the three.

"Talk. Now."

"Okay. We...My garrison recently got an extra surplus of armoured mechs and equipment from our higher-ups aboard the Death Egg-"

"Which garrison is that?"

"Shazamazon. Drago and Razor's garrison."

"Where's your base located?"

"It's not located in just one single spot. There are several smaller bases scattered around the region, each within ten miles of each other. We've got over half a million active legionnaires split into roughly twelve smaller groups, each one stationed at a different location and that's everything I know!"

"Everything?"

"...I pissed my pants until I was twelve".

"Losing my patience…" the cloak growled.

Before the cloak could pull out his pistol again, Geoffrey held an arm out, signalling for him to calm down.

"Look mate, I'm not sure how much longer we can keep this guy calm. For your sake, you'd better give us something we can use".

"Prisoners!" The legionnaire blurted out. "My garrison recently took prisoners from a small village within our region! They're due to be taken to Robotropolis for roboticisation!"

"When?"

"Just a few hours from now!"

This caught the attention of the three.

"Tails, this is Hershey. According to this legionnaire here, the Shazamazon legion garrison are due to transport a batch of prisoners to Robotropolis. What do you suppose we do?"

"The same thing we do every time: try and help them out of their jam. Is that all you've found out?"

The cloak shot a piercing glare at the soldier.

The completely terrified look on his face told the three that this was the most important piece of information that he knew.

"That's the most important piece. There's more, but we can discuss the rest later".

"Alright, get to HQ as soon as possible. I'll assemble the team and we can work out a plan".

The cloak looked down at the legionnaire.

"C-C-Can I go now?"

The cloak thought about this for a minute before simply replying "not exactly", following this up by punching the legionnaire right between the eyes, knocking him out cold.

"Alright, we're done here." Hershey said to her husband. "Let's go".

"I'm coming with you" The cloak said to them.

The two stopped.

They looked at the cloak. Then at each other. Then the cloak again.

"I'm sorry, what?" Asked Hershey.

"You heard me. If you're going to be heading into Robotropolis, then you're going to need all the help you can get".

The two shared a glance.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea, mate" Geoffrey replied, lowering his voice. "Yes, you do indeed intend to help us out and we're damn thankful for any help, but our friends may not feel too comfortable working with someone who carries shooters".

The Cloak chuckled

"It's alright" he replied "The guns are only for show. I don't intent to fire them properly any time soon"

To prove a point, the cloak then removed a pistol from one of his holsters, pointed it up into the air and pulled the trigger.

They were greeted by just a single click.

"See? Empty!"

Geoffrey and Hershey shared another glance.

"Okay, we'll bite. We don't know who you are or where you came from, but our instincts are telling me that we can trust you. But in any case, you're going to have to come with us. If you want to help us, you'll have to talk to Sonic and Sally first".

The cloak shrugged.

"I haven't got a problem with that".

"Good. Let's move".

The two Freedom Fighters began to head back to their HQ, with the cloak in tow.

Whilst the two were indeed happy to find someone who was willing to help them fight, they couldn't help but take suspicious glances at him as they walked.

There was something that seemed particularly off about him, but they couldn't quite figure out what it was.

"Tails, this is Hershey" the female cat said into her communicator. "Just want to let you know that we're going to be having some...company".

* * *

The three wandered through the Headquarter's corridors without saying a word, greeted only by the continuous "Clomp. Clomp. Clomp" of the cloak's boots.

Despite finding a new ally, they were still quite uneasy with this whole situation. They knew literally nothing about this guy. All they could really see that allowed them to identify him was 1) His masculine shape and 2) What they could only assume were tufts of black hair poking out of the hood.

They could only imagine how everyone would react when they saw the weapons he had on his back.

The cloak didn't appear too worried though, judging by his relatively confident strides.

Eventually, the three found themselves standing in front of a door, marked "War Room"

Hershey and Geoffrey knew already that Tails would be waiting for them. It was just a question of who else would be there with him.

"If Tails has told anyone else about you, then they'll probably want to see you. In the meantime, you'd best wait here" Hershey told the cloak.

Their new ally simply nodded, opting to lean up against the wall next to them.

Geoffrey then knocked on the door.

"Come in" replied a voice.

As the two walked into the room, shutting the door behind them, they found almost every single key member of the Freedom Fighters standing around a table, seemingly waiting for their arrival.

Bunnie Rabbot, Antoine D'Coolette, Tails, Amy Rose, Julie-Su, Prince Elias Acorn and Princess Sally Acorn.

There was only one key member still yet to arrive.

"So, where's the hedgehog?" Geoffrey asked when the other Freedom Fighters acknowledged their arrival.

"He's on a "short run", according to him. I'll brief him when he gets back" The Princess replied.

Hershey and Geoffrey walked up to the table. Lying on it were several detailed schematics, showing off the whole of Robotropolis, including Robotnik's castle, several vehicle depots, troop barracks and the whole sewer system that ran underneath the whole complex.

"Alright, so apparently, the legion has organised a transfer of prisoners to Robotropolis from their base in the Shazamazon region".

"Any idea how many?"

"Unfortunately, no. However, they are apparently set to touch down within the complex in just a few hours. So if we're going to go through with this, we're going to need to act quickly."

If this ship is coming in from Shazamazon, then they're most likely to touch down here" Amy pointed out, indicating the most south-east vehicle bay on the schematic.

"There'll probably be an access point somewhere in that sector. We could use that to enter".

"Alright then. We know the drill. We go in, find the prisoners, get them out again."

"Then let's not waste any more time. Let's get going"

"Not just yet, I'm afraid." Sally replied, her tone in voice changing as she looked over at Hershey and Geoffrey. "Before we leave, I'd like to talk to you two about a little something. According to Tails, when you went out to deal with those five bogies earlier, you encountered...some help, I believe he referred to it as."

"Oh yes, the guy in the cloak. Basically, when Hershey and I were scouting those five bogies, Tails told us that there may have been a glitch on the radar, with six bogies being shown."

"Let me guess: the sixth bogie was this guy"

"Exactly. Completely out of the blue, this guy appeared and beat the crap out of them"

Hershey pointed to the small camera embedded on her chest plate.

"We have everything recorded if you need proof".

"Alright then. Tails, can you please get one of the recordings played back to us?"

Tails obliged, removing the memory card from Hershey's camera before inserting it into a slot on the computer, pulling up the most recent video file and opening it.

As the Freedom Fighters gathered around the screen, the footage began to play.

It was slightly shaky and the bush leaves made it difficult to make out what was happening, but eventually, the group were able to make out the five legionnaires...just as The Cloak dropped down and snatched up one of them.

The group then watched on as The Cloak proceeded to dismantle the remaining four before pinning the final guy with his boot and pulling a gun on him.

When the footage came to an end, the group stood in silence for a moment, processing what they had seen.

The sight of a group of legionnaires on the receiving end of a beatdown was nothing new to them. But what really caught their attention (asides from The Cloak pulling out a firearm) was the sheer viciousness of it. The amount of venom that seemed to go into every hit.

Eventually, Hershey turned to the group.

"So, what do you think?"

"A touch on the rough side, don't y'all think?"

"Okay, yes. We'll admit that perhaps he is a bit brutal, maybe even unnecessarily so. But the main thing is that this guy, whoever he is, took down five legionnaires by himself in the space of 50 seconds, which actually isn't too bad. Also, his guns weren't loaded. If he had wanted to kill them, then he probably would have done so. Regardless, though, he didn't".

The group took a moment to take all this information in.

"You do make a good point. Plus, this guy seems to fit the bill quite nicely. His battle style doesn't look like it could be too much of an issue".

Tails turned to Hershey and Geoffrey.

"Didn't you two say that you would be bringing him here?"

Just before Hershey could say another word, she was interrupted by a loud whooshing sound.

A gust of wind suddenly hit the Freedom Fighters as a flash of blue entered the room.

Standing before them, confident and proud was a blue hedgehog.

The fastest thing alive. Sonic the Hedgehog.

"Hey, I don't wish to alarm anyone..." The blue blur said to them, pointing outside. "...but there's this mean-looking guy standing out there. He's wearing all this combat gear."

"That's him" Geoffrey pointed out.

"Bring him in. We'd like to talk with him" Sally said to the hedgehog.

Sonic obliged, poking his round the door and saying to the cloak "The Freedom Fighters shall see you now"

Sure enough, the cloak entered the room, standing confidently before the crew.

"Freedom Fighters. It is a massive honor to be able to meet you" The cloak said to them, shaking the hands of each of the other warriors in turn, finishing with the Princess.

"First of all, allow us to thank you for your eagerness to help us in our fight" Sally said to him, impressed by the politeness of The Cloak. "Any help we can get is greatly appreciated. However, before we can come to a decision about whether or not to allow you to follow us into Robotropolis, we do have a small...concern"

The Cloak immediately clued into what Sally was trying to say.

"Let me guess: it's the weapons I have strapped to my back"

"Precisely that, yes. As you are probably aware, we operate under a "no kill" rule, making sure to avoid fatalities unless there is nothing we can do".

"Hey, that's alright. I don't plan on using my lethal weapons in combat anyway."

"They're only for intimidation purposes. Hershey and Geoffrey told us"

"Exactly, yes. But if it makes you feel any better, I can leave my weapons here and come back for them later"

"That works for us. Thank you"

The Cloak nodded, reaching underneath his cape and removing his guns and his blades one by one, leaving them on a small pile in the middle of the table, leaving just his utility belt and his Bo staff

There was a definite feeling of concern among the Freedom Fighters as they stared at the pile of weapons. Of course, they could clearly see that the guns were unloaded, but what about the blades?

Tentatively, Sally picked up one of The Cloak's machetes and ran her finger along the edge.

Nothing.

"That is possibly the bluntest sword I have ever felt"

"Told you I never intended to use them" replied The Cloak, seemingly happy that he was able to prove himself right.

Their thoughts returned to the task at hand.

"Alright. Everything seems in order" The Princess told the cloak, less apprehensive about bringing him with them. "All we need to do now is come to a decision. Team huddle!"

The Freedom Fighters all gathered around each other, speaking in hushed tones so that their visitor couldn't eavesdrop on their conversation.

Every once in a while, one of them would look briefly over at The Cloak before returning to the group.

"What does everyone think? Do we let him come with us or not?"

"Shucks, ah say go fer it. This fella clearly wants to help, so why not let him?"

"Oui, that is true, but I cannot 'elp but feel that there is something...off about 'im"

"Finally, something we can agree on, Antoine".

"Look, I can understand if all those weapons wigged you out but believe us, this guy knows what he's doing. Again, if he wanted to kill those guys, he probably would have. But the key thing here is that he didn't. Give this guy a go and maybe you'd be pleasantly surprised".

"I guess you're right"

"Oui"

Sally thought about this for a moment.

"Alright. Are we in agreement?"

The others nodded their heads.

The group left the huddle, their attention turning back to The Cloak, who was scratching an itch on the back of his neck.

"Good news." Sally said to The Cloak happily. "We've come to a decision and have decided to allow you to join us on our mission into Robotropolis".

Whilst the others couldn't see it, the Cloak smiled underneath his mask.

"Great. Thank you very much".

Sally then turned to the others.

"Alright, Freedom Fighters, ready up! We leave for Robotropolis in 15 minutes".

Eagerly awaiting their mission, the group left the room.

However, before The Cloak could leave, he was stopped when he felt someone place a hand on his shoulder.

Turning around, he found the Princess, a serious look on her face.

"If at all possible, I would like to have a talk with you"

Very soon, it was just the two left in the room together.

"I just want to make sure that you are aware of what you're getting yourself into. If the footage we've seen is anything to go by, then you can definitely hold your own in a fight. But this isn't just some place out in the forest. We're talking about going into the very heart of the Robotnik Empire. I don't mean to sound patronizing or anything, but all I ask or you is that you don't do anything stupid. We know the ins and outs of that city. Follow our lead and you'll make it out in one piece. Are we clear?"

The Cloak nodded.

"Crystal, your highness".

"Good"

Sally then reached into one of the pockets on her jacket, pulling out a small communicator and placing it in the palm of The Cloak's hand.

"Take this. If you ever happen to get separated from us, don't panic. Just lie low and activate it. We'll then try and get to you the first chance we get. Can we trust you with that?"

"You have my word" The Cloak replied, attaching the communicator to his wrist.

The Princess smiled.

"Excellent. Meet back here in 15 minutes".

The Cloak nodded, making his first moves to leave.

However, just before he stepped out of the door, he was stopped by Sally a second time as she realized something.

"I'm terribly sorry, but I think we forgot to ask about your name".

The Cloak held up a hand.

"No offense intended, Princess, but my identity is not something that I am willing to share, so as to protect the ones closest to me".

"That's alright. But still, we're going to need to refer to you by some sort of name".

"We can think about that later. Right now, we have more important things to deal with".


	3. Chapter 3

_"See, people with power understand exactly one thing: violence." - Noam Chomsky_

The Team had been in silence for the most part as they had made their way towards their destination. Any words that had been spoken were either A) about the mission at hand or B) attempts to strike up a conversation with The Cloak.

Any and all attempts were simply shot down by the new guy, as he answered as bluntly as possible, so as to avoid continuing the conversation any further.

"So, what's your name?"

"Can't say".

"Know what you're doing?"

"Yep".

"Why are you doing this?"

"'Cos I felt like it".

These questions eventually petered out as they drew closer, before finally arriving at their destination: a sewage pipe on the outskirts of the city. Mind you, calling Robotropolis a city would be considered quite a stretch. In reality, it was more of a massive superfortress, built on the ruins of the old Mobotropolis, which was raised to the ground in the early days of the war. Whilst the size of the old city was pretty impressive, it would have been dwarfed by the fortress that stood in its place, which covered at least double the area the city did before everything went to hell.

Mobotropolis had been the heart of the Acorn Kingdom. Now, what was left in its place was the heart of the Dark Egg Legion, pumping out machine after machine at a rate which would have been hilarious if it wasn't so terrifying. As a result of the rapid rate of production, the city also pumped out an alarming amount of waste as a byproduct, mostly through the air and through sewage drains, like the one the team were standing before.

The stench from the pipe was overpowering, causing a couple of them to reel in disgust. Antoine gagged, holding his nose.

The Cloak seemed undeterred.

"Alright, here's the plan. Sonic, you run on ahead and locate the hangar. The rest of us will tail after you. Once we're there, we'll wait until the ship lands. When it does, we strike. Understood?"

The other nodded.

"Good. Sonic? You know the drill".

"Copy that, Sal".

In a blur, Sonic disappeared into the pipe, with the rapid splish-splashing of feet on the liquid waste disappearing quickly.

He returned a few seconds later.

"Found it!"

"Good. Now we know where we're going. Lead on, Sonic".

The Mobians each took it in turn to clamber up into the sewage pipe before carefully making tracks into the underbelly of the stronghold.

If the smell from outside was bad enough, then the smell from inside the pipe was just too much. Most of the group ended up covering their mouths and noses with their hands, so as to prevent themselves from throwing up at the stench.

The Cloak didn't even seem to notice.

The deeper the Freedom Fighters got into the tunnel, the darker things got. Eventually, the only lights were dimmed lights on either side, put into place for the maintenance crews. They didn't dare look down at the sewage they were walking through, either. It didn't have a particularly high level to it, barely coming up to their ankles but even so, they didn't want to think about what sort of crap was floating around in it.

"Sacre Bleu" Antoine whined. "If thees goes on much longer, I might catch ze green gang"

"Don't worry, Antoine" The Cloak replied. " You won't catch gangrene. Well, if your feet don't have any cuts on them, that is".

"Mate, how are you handling this so well?" Geoffrey asked, still as curious as ever about their new associate. "It's like you've been doing this for years".

"One: Gas mask. It dulls most of the smell. Two: Thick boots. They make sure the liquid doesn't leak through my socks. Side note, they also make sure that I don't really feel all the shit we're stepping on".

Antoine let out a small squeal as he leaped into the arms of Bunnie, having clearly had enough.

"Besides, maybe I have been doing this for a while. Then again, maybe I haven't".

Eventually, the group found themselves heading over to what appeared to be a service hatch, leading up to the surface.

"We'll head up this way" The blue blur said to them. "Once we're up there, there will be an air vent leading inside the hangar just a few yards away."

Putting herself on point, Bunnie clambered up the ladder before slowly lifting the hatch open, taking a look around to check for any patrols.

"All clear, y'all"

One by one, the Freedom Fighters ascended out of the sewers and into daylight, with Hershey gently shutting the hatch behind them.

Of course, they would have entered into daylight if they were anywhere else.

As a result of years of pollution, the sky above Robotropolis had transformed into what seemed like an eternal darkness. It didn't matter what time it was or what the weather was like. It was always dark, with only the artificial lighting to allow people to see where they were going.

"Acorn 2, this is Acorn 1" Crackled the voice of Elias through the group communicators. "Have you reached topside yet?"

"Affirmative, Acorn 1. We have cleared the sewers and are en route to the hangar. Has Tails breached their systems?"

"Confirmed. The system is attempting to throw him out but right now, he is definitely in. We're also not picking you up on the security feed, either."

"Must've come out in a blind spot".

"That must be it. Also, be advised. We're picking up a dropship approaching the vicinity. That could be the prisoners. Recommend you get eyes on them ASAP".

"Got it. Heading there now. Sonic, you take point".

"On it".

The Blue Blur led the group onward through the fortress, ever wary of the pollution in the air and the toxins they risked exposing themselves to.

Of course, almost the entire team had done this sort of thing before and had never left feeling deathly sick.

Even so, they could never be too careful.

"Here it is" Said the Hedgehog as they rounded a corner and approached the hangar. Out of all the metallic structures in the area, this one seemed to stand out the most, probably due to the lights that shined off it to indicate its location to any Legion aircraft coming in to land.

There was a grating position very low on the wall closest to them. It was small, but it seemed just about big enough for a Mobian to crawl through.

Quietly, the crew crept up to the grate, with Bunnie using her cybernetic arm to pry the grate off its hinges, exposing the air duct behind it.

Julie-Su took point from there as she clambered into the duct first, followed by the others one by one.

As handy as the vents were to use, they weren't particularly comfortable to crawl around in. Obviously, there was the fact that the vents were only just about wide enough to allow them through, meaning that the amount of space they had to manoeuvre was minimal. Secondly, it was quite dark, with the only sources of light coming from other grates they happened to crawl past. Finally, it was dirty. Very dirty.

"Do these guys ever clean their vents out? The last several we've crawled through have been just as bad".

"It's all gross and _euch!_ "

"Not as bad as the sewage, though".

"Fair point"

"How are you holding up so far, new guy?"

"I've had worse"

This caught the others by surprise.

"What have you been through that could be worse?" Hershey asked. "Or do we not want to know?"

"No. You don't." The Cloak replied darkly.

The others quickly and silently decided to drop the subject.

"Hold up. I can hear a lot of activity going on out there" Julie-Su whispered as they came upon another grating.

The group were in luck. As the Pink Echidna lifted the grating up and peered out, she found herself staring out into a busy aircraft hangar. Swatbots and legionnaires alike were all swarmed around the ramp of a large transport ship.

Pouring out of the vehicle were prisoners. Men, women and children alike. All chained up and ready to be shipped off to the roboticizer.

"Can you see anything?" Sally asked

"Yep. Transport ship's already arrived. Prisoners are being offloaded now. About twenty of them in total. Probably looking at around four or five dozen hostiles in the vicinity, including...wait a minute".

The Pink Echidna took a closer look at the group of hostiles with the prisoners. It was tough to find anything that stood out within the group with the reds and blacks of the hostiles. However, she was able to notice two separate things. The first was the white fur of a large, burly wolf dressed in combat gear. The second, rather annoyingly, was the red hair of an all too familiar female echidna, draped in black leather and brandishing a whip.

The first was Drago Wolf, Co-Grandmaster of the Shazamazon Legion. The Second was Lien-Da, Grandmaster of Robotropolis and second-in-command to Doctor Ivo Robotnik.

"Oh great" The Echidna said sarcastically "My sister's here, too".

"That's a problem. Anyone else?"

"Yeah. Drago's with them as well. Must've flown in with the prisoners. Any ideas, Sal?"

The Princess placed a hand on her chin as she pondered their next move. Obviously, a more stealthy approach was more or less off the cards. Even if they could sneak in there, they wouldn't be able to sneak the prisoners out.

"Guess the only thing we can do is rush them. The quicker we get through them and get out of here, the better".

She looked over her shoulder at the others behind her.

"Anyone got anything better?"

The others thought about this for a moment.

"I ain't got nuthin'" Bunnie declared from further back.

"Same".

"Ditto".

"Pretty much".

"Alright. Julie, when I give the signal, you drop down. The rest of us will follow after you".

Sally looked over to The Cloak.

"You ready, new guy?"

He didn't say anything, replying with a simple thumbs-up.

"Alright. On my mark..."

The Chipmunk and the Echidna both peered out of the gap in the vent, waiting for an opportune time. This period of waiting continued until finally, one unsuspecting legionnaire happened to walk right underneath them.

"Go!"

Before the legionnaire could react, Julie-Su grabbed up the loose grating and hurled it at his head, stunning him.

"NOW! GO GO GO!"

One by one, the Freedom Fighters fell from the vent and began to rush the group surrounding the prisoners.

"What the hell?!"

"AMBUSH!"

"Hold your ground!" Drago barked. "Do not let them escape with the prison-AAH!"

He was cut off when Geoffrey and Hershey tackled him to the ground.

"All teams, this is command!" Lien-Da said into her communicator, speaking to the entire Dark Legion within the area. "We have Freedom Fighters in the hangar! I say again, we have Freedom Fighters in the-"

She stopped, looking ahead of her. Whilst most of the Freedom Fighters were engaged in combat with the legionnaires, the Grandmaster stood face to face with the only one that really meant anything to her.

"Ah, sister. It's been a while. Let me see, the last time we met, it was...Oh that's right! It was when we ran roughshod over you and that little squatter settlement you and the others call a base. How's that doing, by the way?"

"Fine" Julie-Su replied coldly. "It's seen better days, but it's getting better. No thanks to you".

"Yeah, in case you haven't noticed, wrecking your shit is a big part of my job."

"Yeah, I noticed. But things are different now. Knocking us down will only serve to make us even stronger in the long run. That's the simple fact about us Freedom Fighters. We're tenacious. We're persistent. Either that or we just don't know when to-"

"WATCH IT!"

Unfortunately for the Echidna, she had been so caught up with her sister that she had failed to notice a lone legionnaire attempting to get the drop on her.

This ultimately proved futile, however, as The Cloak tackled the legionnaire to the ground before knocking him out with a stiff punch to the nose.

"Yeah no, don't worry about it." He said to his ally as he picked himself up, dusting himself off. "You just carry on with your heroic speech and _I'll_ cover your ass".

The Pink Echidna could quite easily detect the sarcasm in his voice.

"Oh my, haven't you been busy?" The Grandmaster interjected. "You've gone and made a friend"

She turned to The Cloak.

"So who might you be?"

He only replied with two words: "Your doom".

This earned him harsh laughter from the Grandmaster.

"How dramatic" She replied, a cruel smile on her face. "You fit right in with these degenerates"

As she reached for the whip attached to her belt, she cracked her neck.

"The question is...do you fight like them?"

With the sound of the ruckus coming in from all directions, Julie-Su and The Cloak both dropped into fighting stances.

"Now, I'll be honest with you. I don't particularly feel comfortable about fighting females at this stage…"

A wicked smile appeared on the face of The Grandmaster. She had an edge over the Cloak.

Or so she thought.

"...So I'm just gonna make this quick".

The Cloak suddenly launched himself at the Grandmaster, swinging his right arm in a massive clothesline manoevre, which the Echidna promptly ducked underneath.

Spinning around, Lien-Da retaliated with a vicious crack of her whip. Whilst any sort of strike from this kind of weapon would have been devastating, The Cloak was lucky enough to be able to slip out of the way in time, the end of the whip narrowly missing his head.

He then quickly retaliated by rapidly lifting his leg in a swinging motion.

The Echidna Grandmaster was no stranger to fighting dirty. She often employed some more underhanded tactics in combat herself, if the need to so arose.

But despite all the experience she had, The Cloak had one thing that none of the other fighters had.

Steel Toe Caps.

Unfortunately for her, she was unable to dodge his swinging leg as it rose up and made contact...with her special triangle.

Intense pain came immediately after and boy was it intense. If she was a man, her nuts would have probably would have exploded all over the place, making things even worse.

Whilst she mercifully didn't have any nuts that could be exploded, the pain was still sharp enough to elicit a loud "AAAUUGH!" from the grandmaster as she fell to her knees with her hands between her legs, wincing in pain.

Julie-Su didn't know how to feel about this. On the one hand, her sister had just been completely demolished, which always made her happy. However, the quick and brutal manner in which it happened could only illicit a pained cringe.

She looked down at her sister, who was now writhing on the ground, hands between her legs.

Yeah, she was no longer an immediate threat.

"Hope she's not planning on having kids" She muttered.

"Alright, she's down. Now what?" The Cloak asked.

The pink echidna looked around, taking in the massive brawl. All around her Freedom Fighters and legionnaires were locked in combat. Well, when I say "locked in combat", I mean that the Freedom Fighters kept knocking the legionnaires down and the legionnaires were dumb enough to get back up and keep fighting.

As dangerous as the Legion were, they carried one glaring flaw: a noticeable lack of common sense. It was the reason as to why the Freedom Fighters had lasted as long as they had. They only ever seemed to fulfill their proper potential as a threat when they had those brief moments of proper intelligence.

Right now, the only major threat this group of dickless twats carried was the fact that there were more of them than there were Freedom Fighters. Even so, the Freedom Fighters still had the upper hand. The only ones who appeared to be having any sort of problem were Bunnie, Antoine and Amy, who were busy trying to bring down the hulking Drago.

"Huh. Guess that's my next target" The Cloak muttered, pulling out his staff and extending it to full length. Before Julie-Su could stop him, he dropped into a stance and bolted towards the wolf with one thing in mind: go for the balls.

As he drew closer to the small conflict, he held the staff low in front of himself, ready to slip it between Drago's legs before swinging it up into his crundle.

Unfortunately for him, it was at this moment that Drago just to happened to catch sight of him. This was followed up by the Grandmaster grabbing hold of the staff and throwing The Cloak over his head, sending him crashing to the floor.

Before he could go any further, he was mercifully caught short by a lone hammer strike from Amy, sending him tumbling to the floor in a daze.

"Heh. Thanks for that" The Cloak declared as the others helped him up. "Just caught me a bit off guard"

"Don't worry. You'll get the hang of this" Amy replied, giving The Cloak a friendly smile.

A voice then came through the communicator.

"All Freedom Fighters, this is Pink Menace!" Barked Julie-Su. "These goons have kinda got me pinned down at the drop ship. Help would be greatly appreciated right now!"

She wasn't kidding, either. As the others looked over, she was pretty much holding her own against about a dozen legionnaires at the ramp of the dropship, trying desperately to protect the prisoners.

The other three Freedom Fighters, as well as Hershey and Geoffrey rushed over, making relatively quick work of the group.

The Cloak was about to join them. However, just before he did, he had a brainwave. He looked down at the unconscious Drago.

"Hmm..."

As an idea formulated in his head, he grabbed hold of Drago's feet and began to drag him towards the dropship.

"Phew...he's heavy, this one" He muttered, dragging him up the ramp.

"Uhh, new guy? What are you doing?" Hershey asked, clearly confused.

"Just a little forward thinking. We take this guy back with us, we interrogate him and gain more intel". The Cloak replied. "Now does anyone have any rope or something?"

As this was going on, Julie-Su had shaken off the rest of her attackers and was now sat at the controls of the dropship, trying to input the right code to gain access to the controls.

"Lemme see...was it...this one?"

She inputted a code. Nothing

"Okay, was it...this one?"

She inputted another code. Still nothing.

"Okay fine, was it this one!?"

She inputted a third code. This time, it worked a treat, with the controls of the ship lighting up.

"Heh. Those idiots. Of course they didn't change the code"

She grabbed hold of the flight controls.

"Twin Tail, this is Pink Menace!" She said into her comms. "The prisoners are secure and we will be ready to depart soon! Are the AA Turrets down yet?"

"Stand by, Pink Menace. We're almost there. Just sit tight and hold position".

As if on cue, an alarm started to sound. Very soon, the entire city would be on them.

"Come on Tails, any day now!"

"Hold your horses! I'm almost there...and..DONE! THE TURRETS ARE OFFLINE! GO NOW!"

"Did you get that, Sal?"

"I sure did" replied the chipmunk. "All Freedom Fighters, this is Acorn 2! The AA turrets are down! I repeat, the AA turrets are down! Rendezvous aboard the dropship and let's get the hell out of here!"

Hearing the call, the other Freedom Fighters split off from combat and found their way into the drop ship, leaving dozens of beaten and battered Legionnaires behind them.

Once it seemed that everyone was aboard, Sally opted to do a quick headcount. Mercifully, everyone was present.

Well, except one.

"Wait...where's Sonic?"

As if on cue, the blue blur arrived aboard the drop ship, brushing bits of mech off him. "Don't mind me, guys. Just went for a little run, wrecked a few robots. No biggee"

Sally simply rolled her eyes at the hedgehog's cockiness before giving the signal. "We're all aboard! Go!"

As the ramp lifted up, the drop ship began to lift off the ground.

The very moment the legion re-enforcements arrived, the ship lifted off before flying out of the hangar, not greeted by the hail of energy shots from the turrets.

Unable to stop the ship from leaving, the legionnaires and mechs set about tending to their injured comrades. All of them were lying on the ground, either out cold or groaning in pain.

The only exception was Lien-Da who was still down on her knees, painfully nursing her special triangle.

"Grandmaster, are you alright?" One of the Legionnaires said to her. "Do you need assistance?"

She didn't say anything at first, just shooting the Legionnaire a deadly glare.

"INFIRMARY!" She screeched. "ICE PACK! BIG ONE! _**NOW!**_ "

* * *

"I keep telling you, I don't know anything!" Exclaimed Drago

"You know we're not buying the excuse, Drago." Elias replied, clearly starting to lose his patience. "From you of all people, no less".

The team had enjoyed a relatively quiet ride back to Knothole aboard the stolen craft. Upon touching down inside the safe zone, half the team set about tending to the civilians. The plan was for them to either stay in Knothole or to be transferred back to the Shazamazon Region, where defenses would be increased.

The other half of the team, including The Cloak, dragged the captured Drago to the interrogation room to gather any information he knew about the Legion.

Of course, they had been at this for an hour and had gotten nowhere. None of them had been able to get any sort of information out of Drago.

Sally had attempted being Good Cop. Amy had attempted being Bad Cop. Bunnie had even attempted being Sexy Cop, which would have been hilarious if it hadn't been so frustrating.

Now Elias had decided to make another attempt at the Good Cop routine, with a similar degree of success.

"Look, I can tell you don't want to be here." He said to the wolf, sighing. "This is obvious from what my colleagues have been telling me. But you don't have to stay in this room for much longer. All you need to do is just tell us what you know and you'll be on your way out of here".

The Prince's attempt at being hospitable was greeted by harsh laughter from the captive.

"Yeah? So what if I do? Then what? You'll probably ship me off to some gulag to rot. No. No, I ain't playin' your game, Acorn".

The squirrel sighed again.

"Okay, how about I change things up a bit. Just...tell me anything. Tell me about you"

For a moment, Drago seemed to be considering his offer.

"Alright then. Hello, good sir! My name is Drago and I fucked your Mum last night! How's that for ya?"

Elias didn't answer at first. He simply weighed up his options. At this point, he was tempted to leap over the table in front of him and dropkick the tied up Grandmaster in the face for his comment.

For the sake of the task at hand, he decided to forgo this.

He looked over at the glass on his left. It was two-way, allowing the others to watch the proceedings from outside.

Letting out a breath, he stood up from his chair.

"If that's how it's going to be, then I'm going to need to take a time out"

The Grandmaster gave a deep throaty chuckle as the Prince turned on his heel and marched out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

"Okay, can somebody _please_ get something out of him before I go back in there and slap the taste out of his mouth?!" Elias declared as he returned to the others, clearly incensed by what Drago had said.

"We'd love to, Eli. We really would. Trouble is there's not much we can do, asides from traumatising him."

"That would be counterproductive. Anyone else want to give it a go?"

"I could" Piped up Sonic. "Perhaps I could have a go at being bad cop".

"That might work. Either that or we bring Knuckles in and have him-"

"Let me do it".

The group looked at The Cloak, surprised.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I said "let me do it". You've clearly failed to extract any sort of information from Drago. Perhaps I can give it a go".

Sally shared a look with the others. Clearly, they were apprehensive about letting a new guy handle such a high-value captive.

Eventually, however, Elias spoke up.

"I say let him do it. I mean, what's the worst that can happen. We've removed his weapons, so he can't do any serious damage to him".

"I expect those back when I'm finished, by the way"

Sally thought about it. On the one hand, The Cloak was new, so this was perhaps something a bit out of his depths. On the other hand, he was eager to help.

"Alright, fine" She said, still sounding slightly reluctant. "I officially give you the authorization to attempt an interrogation on Drago".

"Excellent. Thank you, Princess. You will not be regretting this". The Cloak replied, cracking his knuckles.

He headed around to the door, gripping the handle.

"Remember, we need to get any and all information out of him. Do what you have to do, but within reason. We don't want a dead body on our hands".

"Don't worry, I understand. Besides, I won't kill him…"

He pushed the handle down, causing it t make a slight squeaking sound.

"...I'll make him wish I would".

As The Cloak flung the door open, Sally began to feel a bit more uneasy. Was she making a bad decision putting so much faith in a newcomer?

Upon seeing his new interrogator step into the room, slam the door behind him and begin marching towards the table, Drago couldn't help but chuckle.

"Holy crap, it's this guy again! What kind of hole did the Freedom Fighters dig you out of? It's not Halloween, mate! Besides, costume or not, you're just the same as those useless cu-"

 _*CRACK!*_

The White-haired wolf was silenced the very moment the cloak hit him with an almighty punch, right in the middle of his face, causing him to reel considerably, screaming in pain.

"YOU BASTARD! YOU BROKE MY FUCKING NOSE!" He yelled as blood began to trickle out of his nostrils.

"As was the intention" The cloak replied, placing his balled-up fists knuckle-first against the table. He elected not to sit down, choosing to tower over the tied up Drago. "Now, here's how things are going to work: since you were unco-operative with my associate and refused to give us any and all information you have, they have been forced into allowing me to be here with you and quite simply, I intend to beat the information out of you. Now what do you know about the legion?"

"GO FUCK YOURSELF!"

The Cloak greeted this response by grabbing hold of the wolf's head and slamming it against the table.

Outside the room, the Freedom Fighters were taken aback by just how vicious their ally was being.

"Wow. Someone has issues". Sonic remarked.

"Y'all want us to go in there and calm him down?"

"Not yet, Bunnie. If it looks like he's losing control, then we get in there".

Back in the interrogation room, the cloak was starting to lose patience with Drago.

"What do you know?"

"NOTHING! SHOVE OFF!"

* _CRACK!_ *

A vicious right hook across the face. Amy could have sworn she had seen a tooth ricochet against the glass.

"Names! Dates! Places! Anything!"

"FUCK NO!"

* _CRACK!_ *

Another hook, this time going the other way.

"SPEAK, DAMNIT!"

"BLOW ME!"

Suddenly, The Cloak flipped the table out of the way before kicking Drago in the face, causing the chair he was sat in to fall backwards.

For a few moments after that, there were no words spoken between the two. The Cloak breathed hard breaths, whilst Drago just lay on his side, groaning from the pain inflicted on him.

"I'm running out of options, here" The Cloak thought to himself. "I've done everything I can do within my jurisdiction. Of course, I could go further, but I don't think the Freedom Fighters would really approve."

Trying to decide on what to do, he turned away from Drago placing his hands on his hips.

"Urgh…" Groaned Drago. "Issat...issat all you've got? Huh?! Issat all you got?!"

No response came from the hood, who didn't even acknowledge Drago at this point.

The wolf gave a little chuckle.

"Thought so. Taking me this far and not going further? You're pathetic. I promise you, when I get out of here, my men and I will be coming after you first and then, well...you'll get what's coming to you, asswipe!"

When Drago went and said these last few words, something twinged inside of the cloak. Those words brought him back to a dark time in his life. In that brief moment, all sorts of feelings, senses and emotions came rushing back to him. The feeling of powerlessness. The taste of blood. The thought that in that moment, he would die. The sudden burst of adrenaline. The horrible sound of metal cracking against bone.

Eventually, only one emotion was left after this brief flashback.

Rage. Pure, unbridled rage.

He had been relatively fine up until now, but that little remark was just about enough to push him over the edge. Now, he wanted nothing more than to make Drago suffer.

He inspected the chair Elias had been sitting in. It was a folding one, made of steel. Very similar to the kind used in Professional Wrestling.

The cloak picked it up, snapping it shut before turning to face the downed wolf, whom was lucky that The Cloak was wearing a mask. Otherwise, he would have seen just how angry he really was.

Standing before the prisoner, he raised the chair high in the air, preparing to bring it down against Drago's skull. However, just before he did so, he stopped, lowering the chair.

He looked at the glass, behind which the Freedom Fighters watched, confused and now even more concerned before looking over at the door.

As The Cloak marched towards it, chair still in hand, Sally realized just what he was planning.

"He's blocking the door! Get him out of there, now!"

The group began to rush the door in an attempt to remove The Cloak but by then, it was too late. The Cloak had placed the chair in between the handle and the floor, effectively jamming it shut.

His attention then returned to the captive, grabbing up the other chair and raising it even higher.

This time, he didn't stop as he brought it down with as much force as possible, an audible clanging sound ringing out as the chair impacted the side of Drago's head.

The shot concussed the grandmaster, causing him to fall forwards onto his belly, dazed and barely conscious.

As he lay there, groaning in pain, The Cloak reached down and grabbed hold of the back of Drago's shirt before pulling hard, tearing the fabric and exposing his back. He then followed this up by bringing the chair down even harder, whacking it right against his spine, causing the wolf to writhe in pain, letting out a yell of agony.

It didn't stop there, however. The Cloak raised the chair over his head and struck again. And again. And again. Time after time, The Cloak struck Drago with chair shot after chair shot, each one causing him to cry out.

The Freedom Fighters couldn't do anything. The door had been wedged shut so tightly that not even their combined strength could make it budge. They couldn't break through the glass either, as it was made from bulletproof materials. Not even Knuckles would have been able to punch through. All they could really do was standby and watch as The Cloak brutalized their prisoner.

Mercifully, the beating eventually came to a stop. Drago was now heavily battered, with lumps of hair and patches of blood scattered all over the room. His back was now red-raw from the chair shots and was bleeding in a handful of places. Meanwhile, The Cloak stood tall, splattered with some of the blood and carrying the now bent chair in hand.

And Drago still hadn't spilled the beans.

The Cloak threw the chair down in frustration, causing it to clang loudly against the floor.

"So that's how you want to play it? Fine".

He reached down, turned Drago over and tightly took a grip on the smallest finger on Drago's hand.

"Now, here's how things are going to work. Every time you fail to respond with a satisfactory answer, I will break one of your fingers. Even if you run out, I will continue breaking bones. Understood?"

At this point, you would think that Drago be smart enough to cave in and agree to talk. Not this guy. Instead, despite his better judgement, looked The Cloak straight in the eye and spat a bloodied lump of bile at him, the gob landing directly on one of the visors.

Despite not saying anything, The Cloak's response was immediate.

 _*CRUNCH!*_

With a sudden sideways jerk, Drago's little finger was broken. The Grandmaster let out a loud, agonized scream, writhing and kicking as The Cloak took a hold of his ring finger.

Behind the glass, the entire group of Freedom Fighters all grimaced when the finger was broken, with Antoine even fainting in shock.

The Cloak tightened his grip, before-

 _*CRUNCH!*_

Another finger was swiftly broken, earning more agonized screams from Drago. Tears were now running down his face.

Before the Grandmaster could cry out for mercy, The Cloak went and broke both his middle and index fingers, earning even more screams.

He then wrapped his hand around his thumb.

A brief silence fell over the room. The only sounds that could be heard were the shaky, sobbing breaths of Drago, plus the ragged, angry breaths of The Cloak.

He tweaked it slightly, as if preparing to break it.

" _ **AAH! NO, PLEASE! NO MORE! I'LL TALK! I'LL TALK! JUST PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!**_ " The Grandmaster screamed, tears streaming from his eyes.

The Freedom Fighters sighed with relief as The Cloak slowly released his grip on the wolf's thumb.

"Good call" He growled.

The Cloak picked himself up and wiped the globule of spit off his mask. The manner in which he did it seemed very calm and dignified, as if what he had just done hadn't actually happened.

He looked over at the shell-shocked Freedom Fighters.

"I'm finished!" He called to them before marching over to the door, removing the chair from underneath the handle.

The very moment he opened the door, most of the group rushed through to tend to their prisoner. Sally, on the other hand, marched right up to The Cloak

Naturally, she was furious.

"WHAT IN THE BLUE HELL WERE YOU-" Sally began.

However, she was stopped by The Cloak suddenly lifting up a hand and holding it in front of her face, allowing her to see every little speck and crease in the material.

Drago's blood leaked through the gaps between his fingers.

"Don't". He growled forcefully. "Just...Don't".

With that, The Cloak lowered his hand and marched off down the corridor.

As he got further and further away, Sally couldn't help but watch. She had no idea how to react to this. On the one hand, he had just mauled one of their most vital POWs. On the other side, it was obvious to her that Drago had hit a nerve, thus resulting in The Cloak going overboard.

The Cloak slowed to a halt, letting out a loud huff.

"GRAAAH!"

He let out an angry yell, suddenly turning and punching the wall to his left before storming away.

* * *

Despite the absolute mauling he had taken at the hands of the Red Shadow, Drago didn't say much at first. It was only when the Freedom Fighters threatened to bring him back that he sang like a bird.

He gave them everything. How many legionnaires were at the base, how many were on patrol at one time, shift change times, even highly vital information regarding the kind of defenses the bases were working with.

Eventually, when they had gathered enough information, they had Drago patched up and escorted to the holding cells. All that was left now was to decide on what to do with this information.

That was for later, though. Right now, all Sally wanted was a break.

As she walked down the corridor, she ran her fingers through her hair, letting out a sigh.

It had been a long day.

She stepped through the doors of the war room, hoping to have a little bit of peace and quiet to ease her conscience. Instead, much to her surprise, she found The Cloak stood at the table, his back to her and his hands placed on the table in balled up fists. He was clearly trying to ease his own mind.

That would have been that, but before she could say anything, Sally noticed his mask placed on the table next to him.

For a brief moment, she was tempted to reach over and pull The Cloak's hood down. She didn't really know why, but just wanting to know who he really was interested her greatly. How much he had been hiding his identity hadn't helped.

"I know what you're thinking". He suddenly said to the princess, his voice still altered. "I wouldn't do that if I were you".

"Didn't know you were still here. After what happened, I thought you would have gone home".

"Yeah. I just needed to...clear my head for a moment".

He quickly slipped his mask back on before turning to face Sally.

"If it's all the same to you, Princess, I would like to...apologize for what happened back there. I didn't intend to go overboard, at least not in the manner that I did. Drago just said something that just kind of set me off. So...yeah. Sorry".

The Princess gave a dismissive wave of the hand.

"You know what, it's alright. I should be apologizing, too. Guess I was a bit too quick to react there. Besides, you got him to talk. That's all that matters. A bit vicious, though, don't you think?"

"Maybe. Kind of karmic, though, especially considering what he's been doing with the Legion".

"Mmm. I guess so."

"So what do we do now?"

"Well, we have the information Drago gave to us. The current plan is to have a meeting and discuss possible plans from there. It's been a long day, so we'll hold the meeting tomorrow".

"Will you want me to be there?"

Sally sighed.

"I don't know. Personally, I wouldn't mind. But some of the others may be a bit uncomfortable, especially considering what they just bore witness to. I tell you what: keep that communicator on you. If we want you to drop by, we'll let you know."

"Guess I'll see you around, then."

The Cloak made the first moves to leave, marching towards the door.

"Hey, wait".

He stopped as the Princess spoke to him, turning to look at her.

"Princess?"

"Can I...Can I ask a question?"

"You just did, but okay".

"I just...well...who are you?"

An awkward silence descended over the room as the two just stared at each other.

"With all due respect, Princess...that is not something I wish to share. As long as the enemy are unaware as to my true identity, they will believe that I could be anyone."

"Psychological warfare"

"Mmm. So with that in mind, I can't risk anyone finding out who I am, lest I lose the advantage I have right now".

"I understand. But still, I need to give you _a_ name of some sort. You know, just to make conversing with you a bit easier".

"Did you have any in mind?"

Sally stopped to think for a minute. As much as she wanted to give The Cloak a name, she couldn't really decide on anything. There were just so many different options to choose from.

"Several, actually. How about I just rattle them off and you choose which one you like the most".

"Sounds fine to me. Shoot".

"Alright, the names I have so far are...Ghost, Demon, Phantom, Phenom, The Dark Spectre, The Black Shadow, The Red Shadow, The Red Devil, the-"

"Wait, what was that last one?" The Cloak interrupted.

"You mean "The Red Devil?""

"No, no. The one before that".

"The Red Shadow? Do you like that one?"

The Cloak thought about it for a moment.

"That name is incredibly outlandish".

He smiled underneath his gas mask.

"I like it".


End file.
